Definitions

fundraising is the process of soliciting and gathering money or other gifts in-kind, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gather funds for not-for-profit organizations, it is sometimes used to refer to the identification and solicitation of investors or other sources of capital for for-profit enterprises. - Wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FundraisingAmy Sample Ward

A nonprofit organization (abbreviated "NPO", or "non-profit" or "not-for-profit") is an organization whose primary objective is to support an issue or matter of private interest or public concern for non-commercial purposes. Nonprofits may be involved in an innumerable range of areas relating to the arts, charities, education, politics, religion, research, sports or some other endeavor. - Wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonprofit_Organization

501(c) is a provision of the United States Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)), listing twenty-eight types of non-profit organizations exempt from some Federal income taxes. Sections 503 through 505 list the requirements for attaining such exemptions. Many states reference Section 501(c) for definitions of organizations exempt from state taxation as well. - Wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/501%28c%29

Foundation Directory Online

an online funding research tool, developed by the Foundation Center, a national nonprofit service organization founded over 50 years ago to help open U.S. foundations to public view. Over the past half-century we have evolved from one small library into philanthropy's information hub.

GEO 2004 Due Diligence Tool

Designed for grantmakers- with a complete guide to the due diligence process; includes worksheets and interview questions grantmakers can use to create or refine their own due diligence process. This is an excellent tool for grantwriters to review how foundations will evauluate your requests.

Idealist

Community Nonprofit Resource Group

CNRG provides a resource network for engaging people in the nonprofit community. CNRG connects people, communities and organizations, and helps individuals gain skills to act as agents of change in collaboration with others.

Alltop's Fudraising Page

Future of Philanthropy

"Gifts of money, time and knowledge help shape the future of us all. But there have been very few explorations of the future of philanthropy itself. Our project was launched in 2000, as a new century began, to fill this gap. This project was dedicated to understanding the whole spectrum of philanthropic giving, rejecting the once-neat distinction between foundations and other giving that is not "organized.""The final report can be found on the website or in pdf form.http://www.futureofphilanthropy.orgMonitor Institute101 Market Street, Suite 1000San Francisco, CA 94105feedback@futureofphilanthropy.org

The Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates: 2011 Edition

reports that foundation giving held steady in 2010, with some $45.7 billion awarded. More than half of foundations surveyed expect to increase their giving this year.

Foundations

Foundation assets have dropped an average of 10% since 2000 but recent asset growth is encouraging

The number of new foundations being created has slowed since the bubble of 1990s

Increased Competition for Funding

Competition for limited government, corporate and foundation support is intensifying

Many nonprofits are attempting to diversify or expand their revenue streams

The overall number of nonprofit organizations recognized by the IRS has grown by 5.3% each year since 1993 and by % between 2002 and 2003, to a total of 964,418 nonprofits in the US

According to Charity Navigator, new charities are being created at a rate of 50,000 per year

The Value-add of Foundation Support:

Money, Influence, Time

Foundations add value to a community by selecting the best grantees and helping them obtain a higher social return.

Foundations bring additional resources to a community by identifying effective projects and attracting other funders to support the work.

Foundations create value when they work closely with a grantee as a partner bringing information, an outside perspective, and management assistance to improve effectiveness of a particular organization.

All foundation have a framework within which they do their decision-making: